For centuries, knots provide useful means for fastening or securing linear material such as strings, webbings, twines, straps, threads, lines, or ropes through specific combinations of tying or interweaving. The knot may include one or more segments that are interwoven to bind to itself or to some other object (or the load). Knots are used in various domestic, recreational, occupational and industrial settings. One particular area where the knot has been an essential implement is fishing. Fishing lines and fish hooks have been used for centuries by fishermen to catch fresh and saltwater fish. Fish hooks are typically attached to a line or lure device through some form of a knot, which ultimately connects the fish caught to the fisherman.
Modern fishing lines intended for spinning, spin cast, or bait casting reels are almost entirely made from artificial substances, including nylon, polyethylene, Dacron and the like. The most common type is monofilament, which is in the form of a single-stranded line. Other alternatives to standard nylon monofilament lines are those made of copolymers or fluorocarbon, or a combination of the two materials.
Such fishing lines typically exhibit a small diameter, minimal stretch, and good strength with relatively smooth exteriors, which may cause the lines to be difficult to handle and to require complex knots to ensure the maximum strength of the line at the knot and to prevent the knot from slipping or coming loose during use. In attaching lines to objects such as hooks, swivels, lures, sinkers and the like, it has been a common practice for fishermen to use their hands to hold the object to which the line is to be tied while manipulating the line to form these complex knots. Frequently fishermen face considerable difficulties in correctly tying these complex knots and in some instances, the fishermen has been injured by the sharp hooks during the knot tying process.
Therefore, there is a need to develop a knot tying tool suitable for tying of a knot to attach a line to an object having an eyelet in a manner that requires minimal handling of the object, and is suitable for those with limited dexterity. There is a further need to develop a knot tying tool designed as a compact, hand-holdable device capable of tying a knot that is breakproof, and minimizes weaking of the line at the knot. There is a further need to develop a knot tying tool that provides a safe, simple, easy to use device for assisting a user especially in tying knots in a fish line and/or tying a fish line to hooks.